If one element defInes archItecture In the West, it
is the connection to the land. The beauty of this place draws
people here, so much so that it’s hard to leave it just sitting out
there. In response, outdoor living spaces have become a natural
Outdoor LivingExtending comfort and style outside is the latest trend in home design
WrittEn by Patty SEbrot
W e s t e r n f o c u sPEoPlE and ProfilES
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extension of the modern home.
Erase the dodgy image of a weathered
picnic table plunked in the grass out back and
replace it with a more pampered perspective:
Think comfort, class and house couture. Fully
equipped outdoor kitchens have brought
dining al fresco to a higher level. Even as
expansive windows draw mountain views
into our laps in the great room, the allure
of enjoying the fresh air continues to draw
people back out into the elements. Sunsets
may entice guests outside, but the yawning
firepit, surrounded by cushioned benches is
what keeps them out late to enjoy smores and
the starlit sky.
Outdoor living has become such a pri-
ority in the Northern Rockies that architects
frequently design homes where each individ-
ual room has a direct outlet to the surrounding
landscape.
Staying separate, yet connected is the
way principal architect, Kyle Tage, of Locati
Architects in Bozeman, Montana describes
his approach. In a firm that has established
a signature style that upholds the aesthetic
of the environmental setting as much as the
built environment, Tage and his associates
concentrate on creating homes that bring the
outside in.
As an example, Tage noted a home in Big
Sky’s Yellowstone Club that was driven by site
and the owner’s emotional relationship to Lone
HardSCaPE • Sketch out your vision with an architect
or designer.
• Define how you will use the space. Will
it be relaxing, dining, cooking, play, or a
mix of these?
• Determine your living pattern and how
this outdoor space connects fluidly to
the indoor spaces of your home.
landSCaPE • Consult with a professional landscape
designer or a local plant nursery.
• The right landscaping can enhance
comfort with shade trees or comple-
ment a specific cooking area with a
kitchen herb garden or create privacy
for a spa area.
• Consider water features to accent the
space or define the way you will use it.
The sounds of a creek near an outdoor
living room, for instance, create an
idyllic atmosphere for lounging; a spa
surrounded by plants intimates privacy.
dESiGnSCaPE • Consult with a professional interior
designer to discuss your master plan for
outdoor areas.
• Select a theme or color scheme.
• Stick with your plan as you select furni-
ture, accent lights, art and home details.
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Opposite page: architect darin Hoekema, of locati architects cultivated an outdoor kitchen and entertaining area in this yellowstone Club residence that functionally connects the main house with an outbuilding, provides shelter and ambience for outdoor dining and artfully frames the view of lone Peak.
The Outdoor Room“the outdoor spaces are really
an extension of the interior living
spaces, “ said darin HoeKema of
locati architects.
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Peak, the seasonal changes at 8,800 feet above sea level and the
exquisite austerity of high country living.
Working within the owner’s interior designer on the
Quiet Waters residence, project architect Darin Hoekema
designed the house with an integral outdoor living element.
Rather than a place for simply relaxing, this house is structured
as a breezeway that facilitates the flow of the main house with
the pool house, while creating an attractive, functional outdoor
area that is a core area of the house summer or winter. Open
on both sides, the breezeway echoes elements of the interior
spaces — stone, wood, iron — in ways that unite the architec-
tural program.
“The owners wanted to bring a breath of fresh air into
every room of the house,” Hoekema explained, “ The outdoor
Previous Page: interior designer Kim olivieri worked with the warmth in the log, stone and metal elements that span the great room of this home in Jackson and brought comfort outside with a sophisticated grouping of com-fortable furniture. Above: the Clear Creek Group, offers privacy in smaller areas as well as the grand views of Sleeping indian Mountain in outdoor spaces of this premiere vacation home.
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spaces are really an extension of the interior living spaces.” At
the owner’s direction, there is hardly a space inside the house
that doesn’t link to the outside, whether it is a path to the
meadow or an outlet to ski to the chairlift.
“People come here because they love the outdoors, so
it’s important to cultivate intimate spaces to enjoy time relax-
ing outside and taking advantage of the landscape,” said
interior designer Kim Olivieri of the Jackson, Wyoming-based
Elements of Design.
She recently completed interiors in the 16,000-square-foot
Phillips Ridge residence in Jackson, Wyoming. As an interior
designer Olivieri worked with the owners of this vacation
Above: With a firepit and radiant heat patio, Kim olivieri wanted to draw guests outside to experience the natural surroundings in comfort.
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Montana Contractors’ AssociationBest Custom Residence Award Winner
2006, 2007, 2008
home to cultivate the outstanding natural setting within the
interiors and outdoor living spaces. Managed as a vacation
rental by The Clear Creek Group, it was as important for the
home to accommodate a large group of guests as it was to cre-
ate intimacy for a small gathering of family.
Sweeping views of Sleeping Indian Mountain domi-
nate the eastern side of the house, making Olivieri’s design
challenge not so much a matter of creating space as much as
defining it.
“Two doors from the great room basically extend the main
living area outside,” noted Olivieri, “making it convenient to
entertain out there, but it’s important to establish smaller zones
for quiet conversation.”
outdoor living has become such a priority in
the northern rockies that architects frequently
design homes where each individual room has
a direct outlet to the surrounding landscape.
dining al fresco has never been so lovely as it is in the luxurious setting of Jackson, Wyoming.
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In the same vein, architect Jim McLaughlin, of McLaughlin
and Associates in Ketchum, Idaho often attempts to “blur the
distinction between inside and outside.” He has designed proj-
ects in the U.S. and internationally with outdoor living spaces
as diverse as lanais in Hawaii to infinity pools in New Zealand. H
As a rule his firm designs buildings that, both inside and out,
have a sense of place.
“Our goal is to create architecture that is not only sensi-
tive to the functional and emotional needs of the users but to
the surrounding environment,” explains McLaughlin.
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House couture — outdoor living rooms have become the latest trend in home design. this lavish covered porch designed by principal Kyle tage of locati architects features outdoor heating lanterns and rustic furnishings that create a functional space for all four seasons in big Sky, Montana.